A’s, Raiders Heading In Different Directions

While the Oakland A’s and Oakland Raiders play in two different professional sports, the two team franchises do happen to share the same dumpy stadium in Oakland. O.co Coliseum, previously known as the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, is home of the MLB’s Oakland A’s and the NFL’s Oakland Raiders. Both franchises, however, have no interest in staying in the cavernous Coliseum for much longer.

The A’s, a team coming off a third-place finish in the AL West, continue to rot away in the outdated Coliseum. The Raiders, a team on the rise after the passing of their fiery owner Al Davis, have also expressed an interest in relocating elsewhere.

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig appointed a special committee to oversee the A’s stadium options nearly three years ago. No answer from that committee has been released.

The A’s have been quietly, and patiently I might add, waiting for a yes or no answer regarding the team’s wish to relocate to San Jose. The Raiders, like the A’s, have grown tired of the outdated Coliseum and want out.

John Shea, a writer for the SF Chronicle, mentions in a recent post about the A’s stadium debacle that the Raiders may pursue a deal where they would share a stadium with bay area rival SF 49er’s in Santa Clara. Shea regards this possible joint-stadium proposal as the Raiders’ best shot at getting out of the confines of the Coliseum.

Interestingly enough, Shea suggests that the A’s, if denied the right to move to San Jose, could remain in Oakland as the sole tenants of O.co Coliseum. That’s assuming the Raiders pack up and leave. But, would that be any better? Sure, the organization could try to renovate the Coliseum as Shea suggests, but would that really help?

Probably not. At least to me it doesn’t. The A’s need a fresh start. Period.

Both teams are bay area staples, but as you may have noticed, the A’s and Raiders are headed in completely different directions. The Raiders, while stuck in the Coliseum like the A’s, are clearly on the rise, especially since Darren “Run DMC” McFadden is finally breaking out this season as the NFL’s top running-back.

The Raiders haven’t been relevant in a long time, probably since the days of Rich Gannon. Adding Carson Palmer, a gamble on Oakland’s part, could potentially be a player that lifts this organization to the next level.

The A’s have been straying away from relevancy, despite making several offseason splashes year after year. The Athletics have missed the playoffs for five consecutive seasons and are seemingly bound by a tight payroll and the whole stadium situation.

Despite having guys like Matt Holliday, Jason Giambi, Nomar Garciaparra, Josh Willingham, and Hideki Matsui making stops in Oakland, the A’s haven’t been able to put a winning team on the field since 2006. The A’s are in desperate need of a new stadium, and getting approval from MLB to move to San Jose would do wonders for the eroding franchise.

While both teams share the same passion of ditching O.co Coliseum, it’s becoming quite apparent that these two franchise are heading in completely different directions. The Raiders, once the laughing stock of the NFL, are relevant again. The A’s, a perennial playoff contender in the early 2000’s, are quietly fading from relevancy in MLB.